1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a closed-loop filtration system for clarifying a deburring compound, and more particularly, a filtration system used in conjunction with vibratory deburring machines for cleaning, recirculating, and continuously recycling the deburring compound.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A deburring compound is a liquid agent, generally mixed with four or more parts water, which cleans metal parts as they are being deburred. The compound flushes the ground metal removed by the deburring media (evenly-formed ceramic shapes impregnated with aluminum oxide) to an exit drain. The compound also provides lubricity, and rust-inhibitive properties. Introduced by a spigot above the machine, the compound gathers dirt and ground metal removed from the parts, ground ceramic from the media, as well as aluminum oxide which has been freed by the grinding action of the tumbling mass, and then finds its way to the exit drain.
In ordinary deburring operations, this liquid is now usually considered spent. Some post-operations to the liquid may prolong its life by incorporating settling tanks, filter presses, and the like. These methods require much maintenance, and the savings are limited. They generally can only extend the life of the compound to about one week of use. Some users employ disposal companies to haul the liquid away for treatment. This represents a continuous, on-going expense, as just one vibratory deburring machine can produce from 400 to 2,000 gallons of liquid waste weekly. Some users with in-house treatment plants add chemicals to settle out the solids, after which the water may enter a sewer system. These common methods can be labor-intensive, expensive, and wasteful of natural resources. And all those methods fail to complete a closed-loop where the compound can be successfully re-introduced to the deburring machine, without loss or discharge to a receptacle such as a sewer.
Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to decrease water and chemical consumption by the user by recycling a deburring compound without additional labor necessary as in other prior art methods.